Shafaq News- Baghdad
The Iraq Green Observatory on Saturday called for greener practicesduring Iraq’s Arbaeen pilgrimage, encouraging service tents (mawakibs) to cutplastic use, reduce food waste and adopt cleaner methods to manage the millionsof visitors expected to take part in the annual religious event.
In a statement, the environmental watchdog outlined the “GreenProcession” initiative, proposing the creation of “environmental service teams”within mawakibs to collect waste from roads and public areas throughout the pilgrimage. It also called on the Ministry of Environment to launch a nationwide “CleanestMawkib” competition through its provincial offices to reward service tents thatshow strong commitment to environmental protection and cleanliness.
“Such a competition could encourage mawakibs to improve waste managementwhile continuing their role in providing food, water and other services topilgrims,” the observatory argued, warning against cutting down trees forfirewood while cooking, preparing tea or making other hot drinks during thepilgrimage.
Food waste was another major concern raised by the group, which notedthat large amounts of prepared food are often discarded by service tents andvisitors. Calling for better planning and the preparation of “smart quantities”of food, the Observatory recommended creating a “blessing basket” to distributeclean, packaged surplus food to nearby families in need or send it tocharitable restaurants.
Arbaeen marks the 40th day of mourning after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein,the third Shia Imam and the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and drawsmillions of Shiite pilgrims to Karbala each year, making it one of the largestannual religious gatherings in the world. During the ritual, pilgrims areoffered meals, drinks and other forms of hospitality, with many volunteersviewing the preparation and distribution of food as an expression of devotionand a way of showing care and generosity toward visitors.
Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s government has allocated 52.5 billion Iraqidinars ($34.1 million) to agencies involved in organizing the pilgrimage and tothe holy shrines. It has also leased 2,400 buses, in addition to deployingstate-owned vehicles, to transport pilgrims.
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